COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 26, 23 December 1908, Page 45

COUSINS’ CORRESPONDENCE.

YOUNGER COUSINS’ EETTERS. Dear Cousin Kate, —I am so sorry I could not write to you last time; I was ill for about three weeks, and I went away for a holiday to Waipawa for two weeks. When I was away I "went to Napier in the motor-car one Wednesday, and I enjoyed it very much, and the way’ was so pretty. We have got a nice cricket bat and ball; we play cricket as soon as we get home from school. My brother and I are going away at Christmas again to Waipawa. Mothermade some Christmas cakes yesterday, and we all helped her. The whole of our family have just had influenza, but are getting over it now. I wish you a happy 7 New Year and a merry Christmas, —Your loving Cousin Kenneth. [Dear Cousin Kenneth, —I was so sorry to hear you had been ill; what has been the matter with you; was it influenza in a bad form with you. The ■whole family have my deepest sympathy, because influenza is a curse. You must have enjoyed yourselves very much at AVaipawa to want to go there again so soon. I an! a dreadfully restless person, and always want to go to new places; it seems to me rather a waste of time to go to the same place twice, even ■when I have enjoyed myself thoroughly. We haven't made either our Xmas cakes or puddings yet; we have been putting it off and putting it off, so now- we will have to scramble. Everybody has to help with the puddings, haven't they; the more people that stir the luckier it is, you know. I hope you all stirred yours. 1 wish you a lovely Xmas, too. —Cousin Kate.] + + + Dear Cousin Kate, —I went to Feilding not long ago, and enjoyed myself very much. The people I went to see have two little kittens, and they axe going to give me one when it leaves its mother. Please Cousin Kate, will you tell me a nice name for it? Next Thursday I am going to a picnic at TJ-nton; I hope it will be fine. Yes: Daisy’s bed is big enough for her, and another doll as well, and the coat fits nicely, thank you. With best love from Cousin DAKYNS. P.S. —-I wish you a Merry Christmas. Dear Cousin Dakyns,—What colour is your kittens? I am trying to get a black one—quite black, you know. I had one given to me some time ago, but the mother eat killed it. I was so disappointed. As for a name for yours, there are so many to choose from —-Smut, Smudge, Ginger, Scratch, or Dodo, would you like any’ of those? Daisy’s bed must be a lovely big one to be able to hold another doll besides herself. Have you got sheets and pillows, mattrass, and blankets, and all, too? We

are very busy dressing dolls for the little children in the hospital just now. I think there are ten or twelve finished, but there are a lot more to do yet. I hope you had a lovely day for your picnic to Linton, and also that you will have a lovely Xmas and a very happy New Year.—Cousin Kate.] 4* 4* 4* Dear Cousin Kate, —J have not got my badge yet; I think it is very good of you to send me another. There is a nice house just been built next to ours, and there are two boys living there and a little girl called Nellie. The two boys are called David and Willie, and we often go over to their place to play cricket with them. We are going to break up two days before Christmas. We are already looking forward to it; I hope we will enjoy our holidays, though we are not going anywhere to spend them. I wish you a Merry Christmas, with kind regards from vour loving Cousin BROOK. P.S.—Topsy and I have had our photos taken as a surprise for mother and dad for Christmas.—B.W. [Dear Cousin Brook, —Just the funniest thing happened! When you sent that stamped envelope for the badge, I just put it in, and never looked at the address; well, it was sent Lack from the dead-letter office last Friday; you had addressed it North-street, Auckland. By this time you will have received it, as I corrected it and sent it. on. How glad you must be to have such nice neighbours, the boys will be companions for you, and the girl for Dakyns. I hope the photos are good ones. We had some taken a little while ago. and we look just like Maoris, and very ugly ones at that. Thank you for your Xmas wishes—the same to you and many, many of them. I too hope you will have a lovely time in the holidays ami lots of Xmas presents.—Cousin Kate.] 4>4’4« Dear Cousin Kate, —I have not written to you for a long time, but I will write you a long letter this time. It was my birthday on the 18th November, and the presents that I got were six books, some .handkerchiefs, a pincushion. a box for pins, a purse, a brooch with my name on. Don’t you think they were a lovely lot of presents? I went to the Japanese bazaar two nights last week, ami I won five rallies. They were two cushions. a mantel drape, a picture, and two carved trays. Don’t you think 1 was lucky, Cousin Kate? 1 wont to see Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch last Monday night, and it was just lovely. Are you going to see it when it goes up to Auckland? 1 went to a party yesterday afternoon of one of my little friends. When we got there we played games, and had races. They had a potato race, egg and spoon nice, and the sack race. I won the egg ami sjmhmi and the sack races, and 1 got two books for prizes. There was a bran tub, and I got a little photo frame out of it. "We were all very sorry when we had to come home. What kind of weather arc you having just now? We are having horrible weather down hero. It is just teeming with rain to day. Our examinations are all over, and we break up school ou

Thursday, and then we will have about eight weeks’ holiday. 1 expect. We will all* be so glad, for 1. for one. just hate school. Cine of my friends gave me some silkworms the* other day. and they are growing so big. I love them, don't you. There was such a big thunderstorm here yesterday morning, and there was lightning, too. I don't mind the thunder. ‘but I am so frightened of the lightning. Are you. Cousin Kate? Are you going away anywhen? for your Christmas holidays? I think that I am going to Wellington. Please’ will you excuse my writing, as I have such a dreadful pen? Well, now. I think I will stop, with much love for yourself ami all the cousins. From Couein MARJORIE. [Dear Cousin Marjory.—l think your presents were lovely, and such a number of them. too. Altogether, you seem to be a very lucky girl. Fancy winning ■five raffles at a bazaar. 1 have never won anything in a raffle im my life. 1 went to see Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch when they were here before, and I just loved it. 1 laughed till I cried. My brother laughed so much that even the people noticed him, and everybody round us stared at him hard. We were quite ashamed of him. and tried hard to look as if he didn't belong to us. I am going to see them this time. too. if T can manage it. I should think you would be sorry to go home from that party. It must have been delightful. You will want a mew bookshelf if you go on getting books at your present rate, won't you? The weather up here is simple disgusting, too. The rain is bad enough, but the wind is worse. 1 can quite understand how you are looking forward to the holiday. T used to hate school, too. T hope you will enjoy yours immensely. and have a jolly Christ mas.— Co in-in Kate.) OLDER COUSINS’ LETTERS. Dear Cousin Kate.—This evening is quiet; the setting sun is casting long shadows through the honeysuckle and blind-covered verandah, ami tb*' air is fragrant with the delicate perfume of the wattle trees that line our front fence. It is just the time to sit down and write you a nice long letter. In a little more than a week Christmas will be here, ami there is already a Christmasy feeling in the atmosphere. \on meet difierent friends, some looking forward with happy anticipation to its advent, others wearily wishing it was over. How people vary, (.hie lady told me in the car the other day that she hated Christmas, and it has no unhappy associations for her either. Except to those to whom ( hristinas recalls sad associations, it ought to Is* a time of joy and happiness. There is so much family reunion then and look at the pleasure that brings. But I suppose it is mostly the young that feel the joy of Christmas. I'he elders, who have known trouble ami care, cannot of course feel the same ns we do. I have read with interest the views of Cousins Winnie ami Hilda on the sub iert of defence of our country. While not at all favouring the Continental method of conscription, I think some modified system of compulsory training should be enforced, by which our youths be compelled to learn not only how to

shoot well, but also uome of the rudiments of discipline. Without some obedience to constituted authority, no matter how well our men could u*e a ride, no mutter how brave or how determined they may be to defend their country to the last, they would be uh a rabble herd before a much smaller body of drilled men. It may be said our volunteering system provides for that. It may be so, but cur Government fails to provide for the volunteers and so the system is comparatively worthless—at least it does not fulfil its purpose. I'o make it a success there must be some measure of compulsion, that is to say. some regulation by which the schoolboys should be taught how to shoot and also get some instruction in drill. We certainly have a line body of school cadets in Auckland at the present time, and I suppose other towns in the Dominion arc similarly equipp'd, but look how many of them drop it when they leave school, and it is only the most elementary methods they learn there. It she u Id. therefore, be made compulsory to attend. after leaving school.’ so many parades a year, and to spend a certain time in camp, under conditions • approximating somewhat those of actual service. On? great obstacle in the past has been the objection of employers to let their men attend such duties, but. as the former have such large stakes in the country and so much to lose in event of a raid or invasion, they should he compelled—if self-interest does not move them—to give their employees the necessary leave to attend to their military duties. As defence is a public matter, the country should pay the men while undergoing their military training. To sum up, we have been told we are living in a fool's paradise, which is true enough, for it would take very little to explode the European magazine, and then we might find ourselves in the positi< n of having to trust to ourselves for defence. Are we prepared for such an emergency? No! It is all very well to point to our British Navy as a defence, but if a combination of two powers was made against Britain, all her naval resources, as they are. would be taxed to protect the Home coasts and defend her over sea commerce. and in such a case we might have to shift for ourselves. The Balkan situation is such a deep subject that I do not feel competent to express much of an opinion on it. Cousin Kate. This serious question is causing much anxiety amongst all the diplomats of Europe, as the situation is so critical that it may easily he the means of involving the Continental Powers in war. I am not well acquainted with the past history (with the exception of what I have read in Fraser's “Pictures from the Balkans”) of the Balkan States, nor of the provisions of the Treaty of Berlin, which latter appears to have be -n violated by Austria, in the forcible annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. and for these reasons 1 cannot speak authoritatively on the subject. Cousin Hilda has lent me several delightful books lately. First of all, I read Ruskin's “A Joy for Ever.” being a series of lectures on the political economy of Art. I think Ruskin’s ideas and thoughts and his expression of them are beautiful. If the reading of these lectures afford such pleasure. I can quite understand how the pleasure would be doubly increased to those who had the good fortune to hear him. The next book I read was ••The Firing Line,” the latest of those clever American society novels by Robert Chambers. What charm ami freshness there is about this author's work*; | just love the way he .depicts the pleasures of seaside life, the bathing and boating, etc, \nd his won derful character delineation! Take the C irdros* family. they are splendid though I do not like Sheila quite as well, nor think her as lovable a- >omc of his other heroines; and. do von know. I like the hero of “The Fighting t iame" better than llamil. But he is a line character. all the same. There are *o many different types in “The Firing Line" Ham il's charming aunt, t he motherly Mrs Cardross; the smug. <• mei’.d, but amusing Portland, at least only amusing in his little conceit* ami weaknesses; anti poor Malcotirt and Virginia Suydham. 'Then* wn* sin h a 10l of good in MaLourt and much chivalry, and in spile of his failings, one's heart goes on tto him. I ha\e just finished *■'** ;u let Runner.” that book of vlvxer short *hu iv- by the W illiamsons. Are not their motor car stories fascinating. The adventures that befall Christopher ami Li- Scarlet Runner arc delightfully romantic. On Saturday last I went with a picnic

party to Brown’s Island. The weather, Which looked threatening in the morning, turned out. fine and bracing, and we had a most enjoyable day. Most y&dpla think there is no shelter on thie island, but there are a lot of pine trees on the south end, and seat** have l>een fixed underneath, so it is now quite an ideal picnicking resort. We climbed up to the trig-station, and obtained a glorious panoramic view. To the west. Auckland, looking a little misty, blinked uncertainly in the afternoon sun. On one side stretched St. Helivr’s, Tamaki and How* ick in soft, undulating outlines, and on the other was Rangitoto, sentinel-like and unchangeable, ami more undulating country. And on the east, the Coromandel ranges. delicately blue in the distance, mingled hazily with the horizon. 'All.round was the sea. brilliantly blue, and crested here and there witfi white, foamy caps. The keen exhilarating sea breeze endowed us all with fresh vitality. When I climbed down again, and was sitting quietly with some of our party, I felt as if i had taken a wine that had given me a feeling of exhilarating happiness. If 1 had done a-quarter of the walking and climbing I did on Brown’s Island, in the city 1 should have felt quite exhausted. Well, dear Cousin Kate, 1 must bring this letter to a close by wishing you a Merry Christmas and Bright New Year, which greetings 1 also extend to all the “Graphic” cousins.—With much love from Cousin VIOLET.